Recently, a display apparatus such as a television, which can display three-dimensional images (3D images), a video camera, a still camera, and the like which can record three-dimensional images (3D images) have been developed and used. In relation to a 3D image, display processing is performed using captured images from different observing points, namely an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye. Accordingly, it is necessary to record a pair of the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye in recording a three-dimensional image to a medium, and reproduction is performed using the pair of images in reproduction processing.
There are various schemes as coding schemes performed in recording or transferring three-dimensional image data. For example, as representative schemes,
a Frame Sequential scheme,
a Side by Side scheme, and
a Top and Bottom scheme
are known.
The Frame Sequential scheme is a coding scheme in which frames of an image for a left eye (L image) and an image for a right eye (R image) are alternately recorded/transferred in an order of L, R, L, R, . . . .
The Side by Side scheme is a coding scheme in which the LR images are divided into a left part and a right part of one frame image and recorded/transferred.
The Top and Bottom scheme is a coding scheme in which the LR images are recorded/transferred while divided into an upper part and a lower part of one frame image.
At present, such various schemes are used in a mixed manner. For example, 3D content distributed by a certain broadcasting station for TV broadcasting is based on the Side by Side scheme. In addition, a recording scheme by a certain video camera is the Frame Sequential scheme. Under the present circumstance in which such various schemes are present in a mixed manner, it is necessary to record information for determining each scheme and control information and attribute information corresponding to each scheme when data is recorded in a video recorder, for example. In addition, it is necessary to determine each scheme and perform reproduction using control information and attribute information corresponding to each scheme in reproduction. However, there is a problem in that a recording area for the control information and the attribute information of such various three-dimensional image schemes is not set in some video recording and reproducing standards for the current medium.
For example, BDMV and BDAV standards (formats) are exemplified as video recording and reproducing application standards (formats). Such application standards are designed as data recording and reproducing application standards mainly using a BD (Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark)). In addition, descriptions of the BD standard are in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-158972) and Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-179671), for example. Although BDMV and BDAV are data recording and reproducing application standards mainly using the BD, such standards can be applied to data recording and reproduction using a medium other than BD, such as flash memory, as well as the BD.
BDMV is an application standard developed for a BD-ROM which records movie content, for example, in advance and is widely used mainly in a non-rewritable BD-ROM of package content or the like. BDMV is characterized by being capable of storing on a disc a navigation command or BD-J as a program for controlling reproduction in response to a user operation and providing various interactive functions intended by content creators. In addition, BDMV is characterized by being capable of performing recording and reproduction using a menu screen configured by graphics and buttons.
The BDMV standard is an application standard for a BD-ROM which mainly records in advance movie content or the like as described above and has a specification according to which various kinds of control information and attribute information unique to content can be recorded such that recording and reproduction of content as intended by the content creators can be made. Control information and attribute information necessary for recording and reproducing three-dimensional images can be also recorded based on the BDMV standard, and BDMV standard-adaptive discs which record 3D content therein have already been provided to users.
In addition, the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) announced in December 2009 that a specification of Blu-ray 3D relating to a BD-adaptive three-dimensional image recording and reproducing scheme was finally determined, and an environment in which consumers enjoy 3D experiences at home is being prepared. In relation to this specification, description is in Non-patent Document 1 [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/jp/Press/PressRelease.html]. This specification is based on an expanded BDMV standard according to which 3D content can be stored on a BD-ROM as a read-only medium and defined as “BD-ROM Part 3 ver. 2.4”.
On the other hand, BDAV is a standard which was developed for the purpose of being applied to data recording and reproducing processing mainly using a rewritable BD-RE type disc, a BD-R type disc which is recordable only once, or the like. BDAV is used when a user records video captured by a video camera or the like in a BD-RE type disc or a BD-R type disc and reproduces the video therefrom, for example. Alternatively, the BDAV is used for recording television broadcasting in a video recorder or the like and reproducing the television broadcasting. However, since the BDAV standard allows the user to easily record data, the BDAV has a trait that the BDAV is not suitable for recording and reproducing complex control information. For example, the BDAV standard has a trait that it has fewer interactive functions and fewer functions for realizing various kinds of control for recording and reproducing content as compared with BDMV.
Although it is possible to record and reproduce three-dimensional images based on the BDMV standard for the BD-ROM described above, a recording area for information necessary for recording and reproducing three-dimensional image content is not defined in the current BDAV standard. In addition, the recording area for information necessary for recording and reproducing three-dimensional image content is not defined in BD-RE Part 3 ver. 3. x which is not for a BD-ROM, is a data recording and reproducing application standard using a rewritable recording medium or a recording medium which is recordable only once, and is also referred to as a BDMV standard in the same manner as the BDAV standard.
Accordingly, there is a possibility that data necessary for reproducing three-dimensional images is lost and the three-dimensional images cannot be reproduced even when the three-dimensional image data captured by a camera capable of capturing three-dimensional images is recorded based on the BDAV standard. Similarly, there is a possibility that a problem occurs in which data necessary for reproducing three-dimensional images is lost and the three-dimensional images cannot be reproduced even when three-dimensional image content received as broadcasting waves is recorded in a BD recorder or the like based on the BDAV standard.